DEDICATION TO PIE

NO FAIL PIE CRUST 

This recipe comes from the aunt (Aunt Laura) of my sister's (Genny) dear college friend (Joan).

It works beautifully every time and is easy to handle. And I love that it makes 6 crusts!

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt

Mix above ingredients together and make a paste.

4 cups flour
2 cups Crisco

Cut shortening into flour and add paste to form dough. Roll out your dough kind of thin, adding flour so it doesn't stick to your rolling pin. But try not to overdo it with the flour. You want flakiness ... too much flour won't keep the good consistency. Get creative! Pinch the edges to make a pattern. Or for fruit pies, do the criss-cross thingy on the top.

This recipe makes 6 crusts.

CHERRY STRUESEL PIE

I always try to make Greg a pie for his birthday. The last two or three years he has asked for cherry. This pie is the result of my experiments and tests, so far it wins my vote for best cherry pie.

Filling:

1 bag frozen sweet dark cherries (about 3 cups)

1 can tart cherries drained (retain the liquid in case you need it later for diluting)

1 cup sugar

4 T. cornstarch

big pinch salt

Cook frozen cherries over medium heat, covered, until they release a significant amount of juice. Part way through this process, add drained canned cherries. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir into hot cherries. Return to heat. Cook on low, uncovered until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. (If too thick, add cherry juice. Too thin, add more cornstarch.)

Streusel:

1 c. oats

1 c. flour 

6 T. packed brown sugar 

1/2 c. granulated sugar 

3/4 t. cinnamon 

1/4 t. salt 

1 stick butter, melted

1/4 t. vanilla 

Mix dry ingredients. Add vanilla to melted butter. Add that to dry ingredients, rub with fingertips until small clumps form. You can do this ahead, just store in fridge if it's more than 4 hours.

Assemble Pie:

1 No Fail Pie Crust, rolled for regular pie pan 

Cherry Pie Filling 

2 T. Butter 

Streusel Topping 

Line pie plate with crust. Add cooled filling. Dot with butter. Cover with Streusel Topping, press down to adhere. Bake at 325* for 20 minutes. Tent loosely and bake until it bubbles thickly and streusel is golden, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Store leftovers, covered in the fridge. Greg will eat a slice for breakfast the next morning.